It’s the time of year when loose ends are tied up and we start to look forward to new opportunities (after a well-deserved rest). In order to do that, however, it is important to take stock of the achievements of the last year. From launches to record-breaking events, exciting innovations to new ways to share ideas, we’ve picked some of our highlights of 2017.

Transformative technology at VMworld Europe

The standout event of the year for us is always VMworld, and 2017 was no different. 11,000 attendees made this year’s VMworld Europe the biggest yet, as customers, partners, influencers, media, executives, IT managers, analysts and everyone in between flocked to hear the latest thinking and announcements on building success, advancing technology and inspiring interaction.

The year of hyper-convergence

But it’s not just about three days in Barcelona – 2017 was huge for VMware in many areas, one of which was hyper convergence. According to IDC, in the first quarter of 2017, sales for hyper-converged systems were up 64.7 per cent year-on-year, something we saw with the release of vSAN 6.6, with customers of vSAN being added at a rate of 100 a week. That adds up to 10,000 vSAN customers by the beginning of September, all benefiting from enhanced security, lower total cost of ownership and ensured business continuity.

Empowering Digital Workspaces

Bringing things closer to the end-user, one aspect of digital transformation that rose in prominence was the digital workspace, a new approach to IT that focused on enabling employees to work as they saw fit to deliver the results expected of them, through the availability of apps they needed on devices of their choosing wherever they happened to be at that moment. With productivity and workforce engagement a major focus across business, the role of technology in inspiring employees is increasingly coming to the fore.

United we stand

The proliferation and continuing nature of cloud environments means that many organisations run multiple types of cloud. As they progress on their digital transformation journey, bring all these environments into a unified approach is critical to ensure businesses get the most out of their cloud investments. To that end, we developed a handy infographic helping guide customers through unifying their multi-cloud approach.

Cross-cloud – the key to business innovation and agility?

Having the right mix of cloud environments was high on the agenda for many customers this year. To that end, we took a deeper look at what a cross-cloud approach was, gave some reasons as to why it should be adopted and how it helps drive business innovation and agility.

Tech on the road

Finally, a new series giving people an insight into the views of some of our top experts. 2017 saw the debut of Carpool Tech Talks, where luminaries including Garry Owen, Joe Baguley and Rory Choudhuri talked about the evolution of VMware, the transformation of security and the potential of electric cars. There will be more to come in 2018, so keep checking back, and if there’s a topic you’d like to see discussed, let us know in the comments below.

Those were our top highlights of the year, but we’d love to hear yours too. Leave a comment below or get in touch via Twitter.